Making the UN work for you – A toolkit for trans activists

Making the UN work for you – A toolkit for trans activists is intended to help or strengthen trans advocacy work at the United Nations. The toolkit is designed to assist activists working on trans issues to engage with UN mechanisms, hence improve their advocacy.

As Kim Vance, ARC’s Executive Director, refers, “Violations of the human rights of trans and gender-diverse people are distressingly common in all regions of the globe. These include torture, murder, disappearances, denial of the freedoms of expression and assembly, denial of refugee or asylum claims and discrimination in access to healthcare, employment, education and housing.

The United Nations is the primary international body charged with the promotion and protection of human rights, and it has numerous mechanisms for upholding this area of responsibility. In this context, the mechanisms of the UN can provide a valuable tool to focus attention on universal human rights and to bring pressure to bear on governments to live up to their promises to defend them.

Sexual orientation and gender identity are sometimes controversial in the intergovernmental processes of the UN, and some states have been actively hostile to the idea that universal rights apply to LGBTI people. However, there have also been incredible advances in recent years, thanks to the engagement of activists and the documentation/reporting of UN experts. This guide is meant to demystify the complicated structures of the UN and provide concrete suggestions for trans activists to engage with UN mechanisms in a way that can enhance their advocacy objectives. We hope you find it useful”.